


Scaramouch

by unspeakable3



Series: welcome to the most noble and ancient house of black [73]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Black Family-centric (Harry Potter), Death Eaters, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Dysfunctional Family, Family Dinners, First War with Voldemort, Gen, POV Regulus Black, Regulus Black-centric, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 17:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21395932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unspeakable3/pseuds/unspeakable3
Summary: There was very little chance of him being able to endure another hour of Lucius bloody Malfoy without being drunk.
Relationships: Orion Black & Regulus Black, Regulus Black & Black Family, Regulus Black & Lucius Malfoy, Regulus Black & Sirius Black
Series: welcome to the most noble and ancient house of black [73]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1395592
Comments: 1
Kudos: 66





	Scaramouch

_“As you know, I am counted among his most loyal and trusted of followers…”_

Not for the first time, Regulus wished that Sirius were here. Sirius would never have sat and endured Lucius’s bragging. He would have made some scathing, sarcastic comment and left Lucius flustering about for an inevitably lame response. Or perhaps his brother would have just accidentally-on-purpose knocked a carafe of wine all over Lucius’s dinner plate and ruined his beef wellington.

In Regulus’s daydreams Sirius never took it too far — he never ended up in a shouting match with Mother, never found himself on the receiving end of her wand, never got banished to the cupboard on the second-floor landing — but always managed to lighten the dreary mood without incurring anyone’s wrath.

Of course, that had never happened in _reality_. But what were daydreams for, if not imagining a perfect world?

_“Some might call me his right-hand man. And indeed, I have recently been advising him on some of the more complex details of the running of the Ministry…”_

Regulus sank as low as he dared in his chair and necked back his goblet of wine. It was all he could do to refrain from rolling his eyes at Lucius’s arrogant boasts. As if _Malfoy _was any great source of information on the inner workings of the Ministry; the only reason the Minister entertained him at all was to ensure the Malfoy gold kept flowing where it was needed.

He looked across the table. Mother seemed enraptured by Lucius’s bragging (how disappointing), completely drawn in by his claims of _intimate meetings _and _private conversations _with the Dark Lord. As if Lucius had forgotten that just two nights ago he was writhing on the Lestrange’s ballroom floor screaming in agony as his beloved Lord’s Cruciatus worked its way through his nervous system. As if Lucius had not sank to his knees and begged for forgiveness, had not _kissed the hem of the Dark Lord’s robes_, right there in front of everyone. As if he did not realise he was just as cowardly as the rest of them.

Regulus reached for the carafe to top up his goblet because by Merlin, he might not be of-age yet but there was very little chance of him being able to endure another hour of Lucius bloody Malfoy without being drunk. What the _hell _did Cissa see in him?

As he placed the carafe back down (rather louder than he had meant to), Father caught his eye. Regulus stilled. Perhaps he did not approve of his underage drinking — Sirius had been punished enough for sneaking mouthfuls of Father’s whisky and Mother’s sherry — but this was different, surely, this was wine at dinner. This was acceptable, wasn’t it?

Father glanced very quickly at Lucius, then back to Regulus. He ever-so-slightly raised one dark eyebrow. A subtle gesture. Sirius and Mother and most of the people sat around this table would not have noticed it; the Blacks were not generally known for their subtlety, after all. But then Father had always been most unlike the rest of the family — quiet, reserved, thoughtful — and Regulus realised that he, too, thought Lucius Malfoy a buffoon of the highest order.

A small mercy, but Regulus would take whatever he could get.

And in his future daydreams, Sirius and Regulus would join Father in his study after a family dinner, and share a bottle of firewhisky as they made jokes about Lucius’s ridiculous posturing and his stupid shiny hair.


End file.
